Delta Dome

File:Astrodome interior 2004.jpg in Houston, Texas which was being built at the time.]]

The idea for a stadium at Delta Park in Portland, Oregon, was started by a development group in the summer of 1963. They looked at building a domed stadium, similar to the Harris County Domed Stadium in Houston, Texas, which was under construction at the time.{{cite news|title=Butter-dish stadium|newspaper=The Sunday Oregonian|date=14 June 1963|location=Portland, Oregon|page=43}} Plans for the Delta Dome called for a 46,000 seat capacity that could be expanded to 80,000, or possibly 100,000. Also included were plans for a 17,000 vehicle parking lot. Architects said the ceiling of the dome would be made from plexi-glass, which would add natural light. The skylights, which could be opened, were intended to add an open-air feel to the building. It was scheduled to be completed by 1968.{{cite news|title=Dome for Delta Park|newspaper=The Oregonian|date=26 February 1964|page=22}} It was estimated to cost US$25 million (US${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|25|1964|r=1}}}} million adjusted for inflation).{{cite news|last=Pratt|first=Garry|title=Making the dollar; Delta Dome booster views county voting|newspaper=The Oregonian|date=19 May 1964|page=31}}

Measure 2 was on the ballot during Portland's primary election in 1964, which if approved, would fund the construction of the Delta Dome. The measure was rejected by voters, with 101,324 no votes to 91,961 yes.{{cite news|title=Northside dooms project|newspaper=The Oregonian|date=17 May 1964|page=1}} The Multnomah County Board of Commissioners denied the proposed bond in July 1964.{{cite news|title=Not dead yet?|newspaper=The Oregonian|date=18 June 1964|page=35}} The Portland City Council followed suit by rejecting supporters request (by a 4–1 vote) to put it up for a second city-wide vote during a council meeting on August 5, 1964.{{cite news|title=Deepfreeze for dome|newspaper=The Oregonian|date=6 August 1964|page=29}} In August, Governor Mark Hatfield convinced Multnomah County Commissioner David Eccles to change his vote in favor of placing the bond on the general election ballot.{{cite news|title=Second chance for Delta Dome|newspaper=The Oregonian|date=28 August 1964|page=33}} In the county-wide contest, it was defeated with 102,281 people voting in its favor and 113,832 voting against.{{cite news|title=Dome backers saddened but note idea gaining|newspaper=The Oregonian|date=5 November 1964|page=1}}

In March 1965, a bill was introduced into the state legislature to fund the Delta Dome by imposing a three percent tax on hotels and other forms of lodgings to out-of-state residents.{{cite news|title=Bill proposes tourist tax|newspaper=The Oregonian|date=3 March 1965|page=7}} However in November 1965, the City of Portland purchased Multnomah Stadium from the Multnomah Athletic Club, putting to rest the city's need for a multi-sports facility.{{cite news|title=Possible Multnomah Stadium sale sparks purchase questions among city council|newspaper=The Oregonian|date=7 November 1965|page=38}}

The bond measures ultimately failed, due in part to voters not believing Portland could attract or sustain a major sports franchise. The Oregonian noted that the Veterans Memorial Coliseum, which opened five years before, was hemorrhaging money without a permanent tenant.{{cite news|last=Pratt|first=Grant|title=Delta Dome backer remains optimistic|newspaper=The Oregonian|date=2 November 1964|page=25}} Another issue raised was the traffic on Interstate 5, which opponents said would get worse if the stadium was erected. Opposition also grew around potential tax increases. Worries of flood damage was another concern, since it was in the area that flooded two decades prior.{{cite news|title=Delta Dome; Once beaten proposal back on community ballot|newspaper=The Oregonian|date=25 October 1964|page=83}}

The group funding advertisements in favor of the bond measure were known as "Volunteers for Delta Dome". Robert Richett was their chairman.

One of the biggest attractions of the stadium was that it was enclosed, so games would not have to be canceled due to inclement weather. A scale model of the stadium was unveiled in October 1964 where supporters sang a song entitled "New Delta Stadium, Where it Never Rains".{{cite news|last=Fair|first=Don|title=Dome offers varied menu|newspaper=The Oregonian|date=9 October 1964|page=61}}

Supporters of the stadium claimed that building a second stadium in Portland would make bids on behalf of the city to the International Olympic Committee to host an Olympic Games more feasible.{{cite news|title=Delta Dome covered stadium now!|newspaper=The Oregonian|date=1 November 1964|page=40}} A consulting firm conducted a study which predicted a $800,000 profit for the tax base. Opponents of the bond criticized the study because it assumed Portland would attract several large events when the stadium opened, which they contended should not be assumed.{{cite news|title=$800,000 profit at Delta Dome predicted is first seven years|newspaper=The Oregonian|date=21 March 1964|page=8}}

Shortly before the county voted on the bond measure, pro-Delta Dome leaflets were mistakenly included with material that attacked President Lyndon Johnson's re-election campaign.{{cite news|title=Head of publishing company offers regrets over distribution of anti-Johnson tabloid|newspaper=The Oregonian|date=30 October 1964|page=20}}

After it was voted down in November 1964, there was speculation that the Delta Dome would form a corporation and issue stock for citizens to buy, but the idea never materialized.{{cite news|title=Dome stock sale urged|newspaper=The Sunday Oregonian|date=27 December 1964|location=Portland, Oregon|page=66}}

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;Politicians

• Vic Atiyeh, future Governor of Oregon{{cite news|title=Delta Dome covered stadium|newspaper=The Oregonian|date=11 May 1964|page=14}}
• Donald G. Drake, chairman of the Port of Portland
• David A. Johnson, Portland Police Bureau Chief of Police
• M. J. Frey, publisher of The Oregonian
• Mark Hatfield, Governor of Oregon
• Robert D. Holmes, former Governor of Oregon{{cite news|title=Delta covered stadium is for all of us ... and you!|newspaper=The Oregonian|date=27 October 1964|page=13}}
• Rudolph Luepke, Mayor of Vancouver, Washington
• Tom McCall, future Governor of Oregon
• Wayne L. Morse, Senator for Oregon at the time
• Terry Schrunk, Mayor of Portland

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;Organizations

• American Institute of Architects (Portland chapter){{cite news|title=2 groups ok Delta Dome|newspaper=The Oregonian|date=31 October 1964|page=10}}
• East Side Commercial Club
• Gresham Area Chamber of Commerce
• Oregon Sports Writers and Broadcasters
• Portland Chamber of Commerce
• Portland Junior Chamber of Commerce
• St. Johns Boosters

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{{cquote|Delta Dome will be the largest covered stadium in the world, Oregon's big landmark of distinction like the Eiffel Tower, the Empire State Building, the Golden Gate Bridge and the Space Needle. Delta Dome will be our international symbol of progress, a year-round, weatherproof, family fun center servicing three million people a year.|author=Volunteers for Delta Dome|source=The Oregonian, 25 April 1964{{cite news|title=Let's put Portland on the map internationally|newspaper=The Oregonian|date=25 April 1964|page=21}} }}

{{cquote|The Delta Dome covered stadium is the best investment ever offered [sic] any community [...] We would bring thousands of tourists just to see such a stadium, and thousands more from nearby states to see events.|author=Robert D. Holmes|source=The Oregonian, 27 October 1964 }}

{{cquote|Do not be fooled by the last minute snowstorm of propaganda. Delta Dome is an extravagant gamble which will cause higher taxes for thirty years.|author=Citizens Against Delta Dome|source=The Oregonian, 30 October 1964{{cite news|title=No (x) Delta Dome|newspaper=The Oregonian|date=30 October 1964|page=28}} }}

{{cquote|I have no doubt that an NFL franchise would have been a [big] hit in Portland if the 1964 'Delta Dome' $25 million bond measure had not narrowly failed. The Delta Dome was a 45,000-seat baseball-football complex proposed in an era when the NFL and MLB were expanding. Now, we would need a publicly funded stadium. We would need an owner. We would need an opportunity from the league. A pipe dream, basically. And if it never happens, it's a shame.|author=John Canzano|source=The Oregonian, 28 January 2012{{cite web|last=Canzano|first=John|title=Canzano: If Portland could catch a break, it could support the NFL|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/oregonian/john_canzano/index.ssf/2012/01/canzano_if_portland_could_catc.html|work=OregonLive.com|publisher=The Oregonian|accessdate=14 February 2014|location=Portland, Oregon|date=28 January 2012}}}}

• List of sports venues in Portland, Oregon
• Kingdome, a similar design built in Seattle, Washington in 1976
• Portland Beavers Ballpark, another unbuilt stadium in Portland

{{reflist|30em}}

{{Sports venues in Portland, Oregon |collapsed}}

Category:1964 in Oregon

Category:20th century in Portland, Oregon

Category:Sports venues in Portland, Oregon

Category:Unbuilt stadiums in the United States